4 Facts About the NEW SAT to Ease the Minds of School Administrators

Winter is coming, which means it’s also time for your students to start prepping for the NEW SAT.

But don’t worry, we’re here to help!

Here are five facts to put you and your students’ minds at ease about this mysterious new test.

Change isn’t always bad

Beyond what most people already know—the composite score changing from 2400 to 1600—some of the in-depth changes to the NEW SAT may actually work in a student’s favor and include:

NEW SAT only has two sections: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Math. Simplicity is a good thing.

The essay is optional. So, if the schools your students are applying to don’t require an essay, they can skip it altogether.

There is no penalty for incorrect answers. This should relieve a lot of stress for students.

There is no more sentence completion questions testing obscure vocabulary. Let’s face it, most students loathed having to memorize random words just for the sake of the SAT. Now they won’t have to.

There will be an increased use of charts and graphs, even in the Reading section. This might bode well for visual learners.

The NEW SAT strongly resembles the ACT

Due partly to the popularity of the ACT and the fact that last year more students took the ACT than the SAT, the NEW SAT was largely created in response to this trend. Because of this, it should come as little surprise that the format of the NEW SAT closely resembles the ACT.

So, if students have already done well on the ACT or an ACT practice test, than chances are, they’ll do fine on the NEW SAT.

Or, if they want to go with the tried and true ACT and skip the NEW SAT all together, that’s fine, too.

Either way, most schools accept either test, so if a student is uncertain what test to take, they can take both and just send in their best score.

NEW SAT more closely aligns with the Common Core

Both the ACT and NEW SAT are more closely aligned with the Common Core—information every student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade.

In other words, students should see a lot of similarities between what they’re learning in class and what’s on the NEW SAT. That’s a good thing. If student’s are keeping up in class then there shouldn’t be any big surprises when they take the NEW SAT.

Preparation is still the key to success

The SAT and ACT are both standardized tests used by college admission offices to help make admissions decisions. In terms of content, both tests cover much of the same ground, and the best way to see your students succeed is to encourage them to prepare!

Some of the best athletes in the world are the ones who commit to a regimented training schedule. The NEW SAT is no different.